Experience in Paris, France by Farah

What is it like to live in Paris? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

Living in Paris means living in a city full of culture, life, history and art. There are a lot to see, a lot to visit for reasonable prices and the city is NEVER out of cool exhibitions. Partying is alright, there are a lot of clubs : some of them are on floating platforms on La Seine so it gives a nice atmosphere. The gastronomy is known to be excellent but I never had the chance to taste it because of the price. Talking about money, living there costs a lot of money because the shops and companies targets mostly tourists that tend to buy without thinking so you really have to do a lot of researches to find the cheapest deals. They exists, but locals are more exposed to them than tourists. Transport is really great : there are metro stations, bus stops, etc, everywhere. But I would highly recommend you taking the bicycle system the city provides (Velib') even if registration and everything is kind of tricky (it's difficult, even for a local). If you get used to it you will quickly notice how much you miss when you take the subway. I don't recommend taking the cab/taxi because it's really expensive (oh and btw, uber no longer exists in Paris so if you're going out in the night take extra care on the subway schedules) and never bring your car in this city because it's really not practical and parking is a nightmare (they are too many people and not enough parking spaces). I really recommend living in Paris. If you want a cheapest option for accomodation I would recommend you searching in cities near Paris like Montreuil or Pantin : they are 5 min from Paris in subway and the living price is divided by two.

What is the student lifestyle like in Paris?

If you are a student that can afford living in a big city, it's perfect ; you can go out every night and do different things each time, there are a lot of cultural institutions, museum, etc so you can learn a lot, you can study in coffee shops or parks.

How much does it cost to live in Paris?

For a small room with a mini-kitchen and a tiny bathroom ; the average is 450~650.
With a healthy diet, a week of groceries would costs 20€. A ticket for an exhibition, cinema, theate, etc, is around 10€. An annual pass for a museum/cultural institution like Palais de Tokyo or Centre Pompidou costs around 20€. An annual subway card for student is ~300€. A trendy "healthy" fast food represents like 12€ the meal while in mcdonalds it's 7€. (fast food is really bad in France btw)
So yeah, living in Paris is expensive but you can easily get away with the big prices if you're smart and make some researches.

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Paris? Is there any advice you can give?

Yes it is. I don't think it's really harder than other big cities in Europe like London though. My biggest advice is to not be focused on the trendy neighbourhoods like Le Marais or Montmartre. Don't get fooled, if the rent is really really expensive but the place is tiny tiny don't take it even if they say to you that the district is trendy full of museums etc etc. Remember that in Paris the minimum square meter is 7, less than that it's considered illegal. Again, for better prices, I highly recommend you searching in cities close to Paris; Montreuil is a great one.

What places would you recommend visiting in Paris?

Montmartre and Le quartier latin for beautiful streets, Beaubourg if you love art, the qays of La Seine between Bastille and Austerlitz train station, l'Ile Saint Louis, if you enjoy some quietness.